Call Girl

Deep down, Erin always knew there was going to be a moment where she would have to confess everything. She didn’t know if it would have to be to a future employer, to her parents, or to a boy, but she knew that it would happen and she knew that it would be awful when it did. She didn’t want to tell Harry the truth, but she knew that she had to.

When she walked into the coffee shop, several minutes before 3, her nerves were a mess. She could barely control the beating of her heart and her palms were filling her hands with a residue that was thicker than the ocean.

She wiped her sweaty hands against her jeans as she sat down at one of the tables, making sure she’d have a clear view of the door in case Harry did happen to walk in. She wasn’t sure if he was going to, but she wanted a front row seat if he did.

The coffee shop was almost empty aside from Erin and the baristas when the door opened, and Erin’s attention was immediately drawn to the sound of the alerting beep. She felt her jaw drop when his curly hair poked from behind the door – that same curly hair she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen again.

He spotted her immediately and to Erin’s surprise, stopped dead in his tracks, pulling his sunglasses from his face. He looked frozen where he stood, almost as though he hadn’t expected to be there, and she wasn’t sure if she should do something to wake him up from his apparent trance.

When he snapped back into reality, whatever look he’d had on his face before was replaced with an undeniable frown and it only seemed to go deeper as he walked closer to Erin. He took the seat across from her without a word, pulling his foot up onto his lap as though he was making himself comfortable. His sunglasses were folded in front of him and set on the table, and all Erin could do was look at his eyes.

“So,” Harry said, startling Erin and causing her to shake her head as she fell out of her daze. “What exactly did you think meeting was going to solve?”

Erin paused, her lips quivering as she tried to form sentences. She probably should have had something rehearsed for this very moment, but planning ahead had completely slipped her mind and now she wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“I – I guess I thought that we could just talk.”

“I have nothing left to say.”

Erin’s lips pursed as she took a deep breath, shutting her eyes briefly before opening them again.

“Then listen,” she breathed out, “please.”

Harry gave a long pause that left Erin’s heart racing. She never thought that she’d actually want to tell anyone about her secrets, but now she was praying that she’d get the chance to.

“I’m listening.”

Erin wasn’t sure where to begin. She didn’t have the faintest clue. Should she start at the beginning with her money troubles and last resorts or get straight to the point?

“Cooper and I aren’t dating, Harry,” Erin said before Harry scoffed at her, causing her to bite her lip out of nervousness. It was hard to continue after that, but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “He paid me.”

There wasn’t a moment of hesitation before Harry spoke, elbows leaned on the table as though he were listening to those most fascinating story in the world. “Paid you to what?”

“To go on a date with him,” Erin said simply, opening her eyes to look at him again.

Harry’s face was blank before his eyebrows furrowed, showing his confusion at the entire situation. There were probably a thousand questions running through his head and Erin would only want to answer about half of them.

She wasn’t sure what he was going to say next, and a part of her was thankful that the coffee shop was empty in case he started yelling.

“So you’re a prostitute?” He said, the disgust clear in his voice, and it was that tone that made Erin never want to tell anyone. They’d always have their assumptions about what she did, and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to make Harry think any better of her again.

“It’s not like that,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “I get paid to go on dates – to impress their bosses and things like that. They hire me to make themselves look better in front of their peers.”

Harry paused for a long moment, leaning back in his chair as he bit at the ends of his fingers. His gaze was off somewhere in the distance, as though he was looking at nothing at all.

“You don’t sleep with them, then?”

Erin let out a deep sigh, knowing this was the worst part and the one that took the most courage. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t done it before, but it’s not a requirement.”

Harry didn’t seem to understand this and cocked his head at her, leaning forward a bit in his chair. “Why then? Why would you do it?”

“The money’s good,” Erin said, almost disgusted at herself for saying it. “And my student bills pile up more quickly than I can keep up with.”

“So you sell yourself to pay your bills?” Harry said, his voice clearly not amused.

A deep breath fell from Erin’s lips while her head dropped. “I don’t expect you to understand, Harry. I just wanted to tell you the truth. I wanted you to know that Cooper and I weren’t together.”

“And you thought this would make me feel better?”

“No,” Erin breathed out, shaking her head. “But it’s the truth. And I’ve realized now that knowing the truth is better than believing a lie.”

Harry let out a deep breath, leaning back in his chair as he looked at Erin. She had no idea what he was going to say or do, and all she could do was watch him while she waited for a reaction.

“I don’t know what else to say, Erin. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

She wanted him to tell her that everything was going to be okay. That he wouldn’t judge her for who she was or what she did. That everything would go back to the way it was before and she could have that fuzzy feeling in her heart again, but she knew she couldn’t ask for any of those things.

“I just need to think,” he said quickly, closing his eyes as he stood up from his chair. He looked down at her once more as he bit his lip. His mouth opened, as if he was going to speak again, but instead, he walked away and left Erin at the coffee shop without another word.